Auston Matthews opens up about what happened in the locker room after beating the Oilers
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Auston Matthews says the Maple Leafs locker room is fun and competitive, and the results are showing with four straight wins, including a 7-2 rout in Edmonton.
Auston Matthews believes the energy inside the Toronto Maple Leafs dressing room is a big reason this team is rolling.
The captain says the group enjoys showing up each day, and the timing is perfect after Toronto went into Edmonton on Saturday and crushed the Oilers 7-2.
Matthews described a room where the competition never stops and teammates are always needling each other.
According to him, that loose and playful mood follows the group onto the ice once the puck drops.
Everybody celebrates every goal
He also made it clear that the name on the scoresheet is irrelevant.
Everyone on the bench gets fired up either way, and the focus stays on the group instead of individual numbers.
Matthews said that team-first approach is what matters most and what is powering Toronto right now.
"The environment is just so much fun. It's competitive, guys are joking around and chirping each other. That carries over to the game.
It doesn't matter who scores, everybody is excited. Everything is about the team, and that's what's most important and what's driving us right now."
- Auston Matthews
It doesn't matter who scores, everybody is excited. Everything is about the team, and that's what's most important and what's driving us right now."
- Auston Matthews
Fans are noticing. One supporter replying to the video said it has been a very long time since the club felt this upbeat, and the replies were mostly upbeat.
That matters for a team that has faced plenty of questions about its playoff results.
A fun, tight room will not win a series alone, but it helps when games get tough.
The results back it up
Toronto has now won four straight games, beating the Sharks 3-1, the Blue Jackets 6-2, the Rangers 5-4 and the Oilers 7-2.
That adds up to 21 goals in four outings, and the run began after a 4-1 home loss to the Islanders on Oct. 17.
Next up is a Monday night game in Calgary, followed by stops in Seattle and Vancouver later in the week.
Keeping this good mood alive through a road trip will say plenty about how real this surge is, but for now the Leafs look like a group that is having a blast.
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